Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Laoag City

For one person, living is cheaper in Laoag City: $743 a month against $2,663 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $23,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

130

Cost of Living Index in Austin, TX
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Austin, TX Living Index
36

Cost of Living Index in Laoag City
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Laoag City Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

Laoag City

🇵🇭 Philippines

$743

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Austin, TX and in Laoag City

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Austin, TX and in Laoag City actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,663 in Austin, TX versus $743 in Laoag City.

Austin, TX $2,663
Laoag City $743

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $1,112 in Laoag City.

Austin, TX $4,133
Laoag City $1,112

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,603 in Austin, TX versus $1,480 in Laoag City.

Austin, TX $5,603
Laoag City $1,480

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 258% more expensive than in Laoag City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Austin, TX is 97% above, Laoag City is 45% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.77 $20.77

$3.41 ₱215

509.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$16.52 ₱1,040

412.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.32 $12.32

$2.94 ₱185

319.05%

Cappuccino

$5.63 $5.63

$2.54 ₱160

121.65%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.72 $3.72

$0.67 ₱42.11

455.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$0.33 ₱20.52

657.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$1.00 ₱63.3

705.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.01 $9.01

$1.85 ₱117

387.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$1.63 ₱102

-31.29%

White Bread (500g)

$3.75 $3.75

$1.17 ₱73.8

220.51%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$0.92 ₱58.1

254.35%

Eggs

$4.17 $4.17

$1.95 ₱123

113.85%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.90 $12.90

$5.25 ₱331

145.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.16 $14.16

$4.30 ₱271

229.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.22 $16.22

$7.24 ₱456

124.03%

Apples (1kg)

$4.33 $4.33

$2.42 ₱152

78.93%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.63 ₱103

-10.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.51 $4.51

$2.44 ₱154

84.84%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$1.19 ₱74.6

264.71%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$1.94 ₱122

32.99%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$1.88 ₱119

25.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 $1.78

$1.01 ₱63.3

76.24%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$0.54 ₱33.73

311.11%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.88 $9.88

$2.89 ₱182

241.87%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.08 $15.08

$7.37 ₱464

104.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.92 $2.92

$0.94 ₱59.5

210.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 $3.46

$1.94 ₱122

78.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$0.26 ₱16.39

473.08%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.72 $41.72

$11.99 ₱755

247.96%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.73 $2.73

$0.73 ₱45.76

273.97%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 $1.66

$0.24 ₱15.14

591.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.30 $35.30

$2.19 ₱138

1511.87%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.03 ₱64.6

-7.77%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$36.0K $36.0K

$21.6K ₱1.4M

66.55%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$27.1K $27.1K

$19.0K ₱1.2M

42.28%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$229 $229

$136 ₱8,542

68.78%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$59.4 $59.4

$14.48 ₱912

310.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.9 $69.9

$24.79 ₱1,561

182.01%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.2 $57.2

$32.51 ₱2,047

76.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 $16.33

$5.10 ₱321

220.20%

Cinema Ticket

$14.28 $14.28

$5.03 ₱316

183.90%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$1,506 $1,506

$133 ₱8,385

1030.70%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$8,190 ₱515.6K

162.00%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 $52.8

$33.49 ₱2,108

57.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.82 $43.82

$19.72 ₱1,242

122.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.8 $84.8

$71.2 ₱4,481

19.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 $103

$55.3 ₱3,483

86.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,907 $1,907

$270 ₱17.0K

607.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,274 $1,274

$171 ₱10.8K

643.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

$513 ₱32.3K

614.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,538 $2,538

$330 ₱20.7K

670.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,614 $7,614

$2,434 ₱153.3K

212.76%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,157 $3,157

$1,087 ₱68.4K

190.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,121 $5,121

$162 ₱10.2K

3064.10%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Austin, TX: October 12, 2026

Last update for Laoag City: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8%

Laoag City

$171 23% 86.6% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$405 15.2%

Laoag City

$179 24.2% 55.6% $225

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$358 13.5%

Laoag City

$175 23.5% 51.2% $183

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$354 13.3%

Laoag City

$79 10.7% 77.6% $275

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$128 4.8%

Laoag City

$81 10.9% 36.8% $47

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

Laoag City

$43 5.7% 50.4% $43

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$59 2.2%

Laoag City

$15 2% 74.5% $44

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,907 in Austin, TX and $270 in Laoag City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 3064% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $85.0 in Austin, TX vs $17.00 in Laoag City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $405 vs $179 per month, with Laoag City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇵🇭 Laoag City

🕒 Local time

17:11 5:11 PM

06:11 6:11 AM

13 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

112,117

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PHP, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇵🇭 Philippine Peso (₱)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 62.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.78 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

PHP to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Austin, TX Laoag City 13,240 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Laoag City

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Austin, TX vs Laoag City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Laoag City wins on cost – living expenses run 258% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Laoag City the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 3064% higher in Austin, TX, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,907 in Austin, TX versus $270 in Laoag City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $2,663 per month in Austin, TX versus $743 in Laoag City – a 258% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Laoag City runs roughly 248% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $743 in Laoag City versus $2,663 in Austin, TX, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Laoag City but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Laoag City the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find Laoag City gentler on the wallet – expenses run 258% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.